By Kathy Zingaro Clark 

  Note: The article below was published first in the Gloucester City News. The writer\’s name was listed as Frank Anello.

However, that was incorrect. The author was in fact, Kathy Zingaro Clark.

Few things in life are free. Yet a night on the riverfront with the spirited Gloucester City \”Old Timers\” String Band is both free, and delightful.

After decades of professional musicianship, this energized crew really knows how to put on a show.

The band was formed in 1988 by the late Ralph Anello, who just couldn\’t imagine giving up the music he loved after being \”retired\” from the Mummers \”Garden Sate\” Club.

Fortunately, as more mummers joined his ranks, they too knew they\’d be lost if they put down their instruments just because marching had become a little harder with age.

Today Ralph\’s legacy is a tight, 32-piece, \”string\” band that offers up engaging toe-tapping concerts with timeless appeal.

As Ray Kosyla, Assistant Music Director, and mummer with 46 years of experience noted, \”These guys are the cream of the crop… the elite.\”

Ralph\’s banjo-playing brother, Frank, and his buddy Richie Olsen, who helps coordinate each musical performance, have been with the band since its inception. Like their fellow band-mates, they know the thrill entertaining tens of thousands of people while marching in the Philadelphia annual Mummer\’s Day Parade.

With over 90 percent of the musicians coming from award winning bands such as \”Fralinger,\” \”Ferko,\” \”Quaker City,\” and \”South Philadelphia,\” it is not surprising their performances are perfectly spiced with a sprinkling of humor, variety, nostalgia, and good old fashioned American charm.

The more modern arrangements for the \”Gloucester City\” band come courtesy of relatively new member, and saxophonist, Harry Rivell, who follows another talented Music Director, the late George Pine.

\”I really enjoy challenging the guys with sophisticated compositions. Sometimes the more contemporary stuff is a stretch, but they got the talent,\” Rivell said.

Although the band and audiences love the old Mummer standards, Rivell has increasingly moved the music to new levels of appreciation.

Today audiences are as likely to hear contemporary pop, show tunes, and rollicking Dixieland, as they are familiar numbers, tin-pan alley, and the ever crowd-pleasing, \”Golden Slipper.\”

Every Tuesday night you can catch rehearsal at the American Legion, where drop-ins are welcome.

Although members sorely miss guys like the recently deceased, Georgie Leader, the old time banjo player on Cozy Morley\’s Tune, \”On the Way to Cape May,\” they welcome newcomers who help keep the band inspired and growing.

Besides gigs sponsored by local businesses, member clubs, and institutions, the \”Gloucester City\” band frequently performs at community events, parks, and parades around the region, often on their own float.

But be forewarned about seeing them outdoors. Followers start snapping open lawn chairs and staking out their spots by the stage well before the band arrives.

\”Better put on your struttin\’ shoes and get there early.\”

Related Story

 

October 17, 2007

source Rider University http://www.rider.edu

We are deeply saddened to inform you of the death of one of our students, 18-year old Westminster Choir College freshman Justin R. Warfield. We know that we speak for the entire University when we extend our heartfelt sympathy to his family.

Justin was pronounced dead this morning at University Medical Center at Princeton. We are fully cooperating with all officials investigating the cause of death and will share information with you as it is learned. There are currently no other details available.

Our counseling and campus ministry staff will be available for all students, faculty and staff on both campuses. We will plan a memorial service for Justin and will inform you of the specific time and location.

 

Mordechai Rozanski President

Robert Annis Dean, Westminster Choir College

College Student\’s Death Investigated

Source http://www.6abc.com

October 17, 2007 – Investigators are awaiting the results of an autopsy to determine what caused an 18-year-old college student to suddenly die.

The student attended the Westminster Choir College of Rider University in Princeton, New Jersey.

Rider University has identified the student as Justin Warfield of Columbia, Maryland. The Mercer County Prosecutor\’s Office said Warfield was under the influence of drugs and alcohol. Officials said he was taken by friends to another friend\’s apartment on Witherspoon Street around 11:30 Tuesday night. A few hours later, the friend and resident of the apartment noticed Warfield was not breathing, began CPR and called 911. The student was transported to Princeton Medical Center and pronounced dead around 6:00 this morning.

CAREY, HOWARD W., JR.\’COACH CAREY\’

Of Camden, NJ, he passed on October 10, 2007, at the age of 68.
He was a 20 year retiree from Camden County Municipal Utility Authority.
He is the father of the late Ronald \’Magic\’ Carey. He is survived by his loving wife, Emily Edwards Carey; son and daughter-in-law, Larry and Shelene Carey of Lithonia, GA; daughter, Sophia Carey of Mt. Laurel, NJ; seven grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren; special aunt, Frances Poke; and a host of nieces, nephews, other relatives and friends.
Services will be held 11AM, Wednesday at First Refuge Baptist Church, Kaighns Ave. and Park Blvd., Camden, NJ, where friends may call after 9AM. Interment will follow at Sunset Memorial Park, Penn- sauken. Arrangementsby CARL MILLERFUNERAL HOME,Camden and Lawnside.

source http://www.nwfdailynews.com

DESTIN Florida– Adlee Bruner\’s fishing story is about the big one that didn\’t get away.

Bruner and five friends headed out Saturday morning on a charter boat, hoping to catch some grouper to enter in the annual Destin Fishing Rodeo.

Instead, Bruner landed a gargantuan 844.4-pound mako shark, setting a new record for the decades-old tournament.

\”It was tense,\” Bruner, 47, said about the fight to land the 11-foot shark with a mouthful of huge teeth. \”I\’ve fished for 40 years. I\’ve never see one that big.\”

WILLIAM HATFIELD Florida Freedom Newspapers

VIDEO: Watch video of the shark being brought up to the harbor

Bruner and his fishing buddies were on the 52-foot charter boat \”Twilight\” with Capt. Robert Hill of Destin and deckhand Eric Hayles.

\”We were precisely 70 miles southwest of Destin,\” Hill said. \”In beautiful blue water. It was about 280 feet deep.\”

The fishermen first noticed the big mako because it kept eating grouper and scamp they had hooked.

\”I told them to bring up their rigs,\” Hill said.

When the rigs came up, the big shark surfaced just behind the boat.

\”A huge shark,\” Bruner said.

\”That was an incredible sight,\” Hill said. \”You sort of run around not knowing what to do, it was so big.

\”It was like \’Jaws.\’ \”

Hill hooked a two-foot amberine on as bait and tossed it out. The rig included a stout fiberglass rod and a Shimano PLD 50 reel custom built at Destin\’s Half-Hitch Tackle, with 100-lb. test line and a steel leader.

About 10 minutes after the bait was in the water, at 12:20 p.m., the shark hit about 200 feet from the boat, and the fight was on.

\”He went to the bottom for about 30 minutes,\” Hill said of the shark. \”(Then) it just decided to come up to the surface.\”

Bruner was not strapped in to a chair as he battled the huge fish.

\”I was standing up the whole time,\” he said.

When the shark surfaced, Hill backed the boat up to it. That is when things got tense, Bruner and Hill said.

\”My deckhand (Hayles) was the most courageous of all,\” Hill said. \”He reached out there and gaffed him. He\’s the one who knew the fish wasn\’t worn down. He\’s tough.\”

\”He went crazy,\” Bruner said of the shark. \”It was a fight.\”

At one point the rope attached to the gaffe wrapped around the boat\’s rudder and began to fray. But after 10 minutes they were able to get another rope around the shark\’s tail.

\”Once we had the tail roped, we had him,\” Hill said. Still, it took about an hour for the fish to succumb.

But then a challenge arose.

\”We couldn\’t get him in the boat,\” Bruner said. \”We tried for about an hour, but we couldn\’t pick him up.\”

 

Friday, October 19^th, doors open at 7 PM. Gloucester Heights Fire Hall, Nicholson road. Friends of Ray Ford along with Gloucester Catholic, Gloucester High Alumni invited (men only). Admission $8 includes food and refreshments.

Photos from Ray Ford\’s 2006 Meeting see more of 2006 album

 

Source http://www.courierpostonline.com

By RENEE WINKLER
Courier-Post Staff

Anyone who spotted Ruth Cleary tooling around in her red Chrysler convertible probably thought of her as a blithe spirit.

She always had time to chat with neighbors she met during her 46 years in Haddon Heights or with people in nearby communities visiting the same yard sales as she.

But there was a warmer, more giving side to Cleary, who died recently after an illness that forced her into a Cherry Hill nursing facility for the last year of her life.

By then, her beloved car had been replaced by a wheelchair, said one of her three daughters, Kathy Underwood of Gloucester City.

Cleary spent a lifetime opening her heart — and often her wallet — to strangers who became friends.

Born in Pine Grove, Pa., near Pottsville, she was on her own at 16 after her parents\’ death. She began to work as a waitress, where she met her husband, Jim, a bartender.

COSTS OF FIRE PROTECTION For The Calendar Year 2007 

Fire:
Salaries & Wages…………………………………. $2,398,237.50
Other Expenses 238,800.00

$2,637,037.50

Note: Overtime through October 10, 2007=$279,015.38)

Uniform Fire Safety Act:
Salaries and Wages………………………………… $70,085.01
other expenses 8,000.00

$78,085.01

Office of Emergency Management:
Salaries and Wages ……………………………………………………………. $28,000.00

Other expenses 10,000.00

$ 38,000.00

Indirect Costs:
Insurance:
Estimated 25% of JIF/MEL Premiums ($546,149.40)…………………….. $136,537.35

Premium for Gloucester Heights Policy………………… 1,985.50

Volunteer Life Insurance Premiums……………………………………. 248.18

$138,771.03

Group Insurance Plans (Including Retirees):
Medical ………………….. $424,908.00

Dental …………………….. 24,048.00

Prescription ………………………… 118,029.96

Vision Reimbursements……………………. 158.00

Medicare Reimbursements (Retirees) ………………………… 4,488.00

$571,631.96

Utilities (Including Volunteer Stations) (2006 Figures)
Electricity ……………………………….. $30,503.06

Gas……………………………. 25,640.51

Telephone ……………………………………….. 5,394.24

Sewerage Disposal………………………………………. 945.00

Gasoline & Diesel Fuel …………………………………………………………………… 21,442.32

$83,925.13

Employer Share of Payroll Taxes:

Social Security @6.20% …………………………… $6,695.09

Medicare @1.45% ……………………….. 36,196.68

$42,891.77

Contribution to Police & Firemens Pension System:

47.24% of 2007 Pension Bill of $507,116.80 ……………………………. …………….. $ 239,561.98

Subtotal Operating Expenses……………………………………………………………… $ 3,829,904.38

Debt Service Related to Fire Capital Expenditures:

Bond Anticipation Note Principal ………………………………………. $76,500.00

Interest on Notes …………………………………………………………….. 54,875.25

Serial Bond Principal:

1992 Bond Issue (14.72%)………………………………………………………… 46,956.80

1995 Bond Issue (10.05%)……………………………………………………… ….. 31,155.00

Interest on Bonds:

1992 Bond Issue (14.72%)…………………………………………….. 1,467.40

1995 Bond Issue (10.05%)…………………………………………….. 7,039.27

_____________________________________________________________________217,993.72

 

Total Expenses ………………………………………….. $4,047,898.10

 

Signed: Gloucester City Mayor and Council 

Note from Site Editor: There was some discrepancies with the amount of the Fire Department\’s Budget. The Union said the amount was $2.49 million for all fire department services. Mayor and Council said the amount was $4 million. I had asked for both sides (City and Union) to provide factual information to back up their claims. Today, I received the above information by email from Mayor and Council.

I am hoping the union will follow suit and release the document showing the budget was what they claim it was, $2.49 million. I had also asked the union to explain how $50,000 was spent in one month for overtime. Were there firemen injured fighting a fire who are not able to work? Or are firemen abusing the sick leave benefit.

On Saturday, October 13 the union members held a protest rally during the Heroes to Hero 5K memorial run seeking public sympathy for their cause. The union\’s contract expires in 2008.

 

 

 

Source http://www.southphillyreview.com

If you don\’t love a parade, but can\’t get enough of the rich history that surrounds the group there are several books on the subject, the most recent being \”Life, Liberty, and The Mummers\” by Ed Kennedy.

The 54-year-old captured a year in the life of the Mummers with a 198-page photo essay. Set to be released this month, the book will be available at Barnes & Noble, Borders and Amazon.com. Shooting began in \’03 when he attended his first parade, not quite knowing what to expect.

\”It\’s like a G-rated Mardi Gras to me,\” the New Orleans native said with a laugh.

He was welcomed with open arms and spent the next four years with groups like the South Philly Vikings and the Quaker City String Band.

The Elkins Park resident said similarities between his hometown\’s famed Mardi Gras and our town\’s celebrated Mummers\’ Parade drew him to the subject, and it was the bond between the Mummers and the community that kept him coming back for more.

\”On Second Street, when you get on it, that\’s where they\’re performing for their own community,\” he said. \”You see that closeness, that sense of community. I wrote in my book that South Philly would cease to exist without the Mummers — they both support each other.\”

Many members date the start of the Mummers to the 1600s — before William Penn even set foot in the soon-to-be Keystone State.

\”The Swedes of what\’s now known as Queen Village would go around and put on plays from house to house,\” Burke said. \”Then they would be invited in to eat and have a few beers. That\’s how the tradition got started — by being with neighbors celebrating — and the tradition continues to what you see today.\”

In the 1870s, groups organized with comic and fancy-dress clubs forming, becoming the first versions of today\’s Mummers. Parades became the focus in the 1880s, with the prize of $25 being awarded in the \’88 contest on South Broad. Baked goods, food and beer from local taverns served as prizes, as well.

A year after the city recognized the parade in 1901, string bands joined the lineup and in 1903 minstrel Charles Dumont introduced \”Oh! Dem Golden Slippers,\” which has become a signature song for the group.

In 2000, the Mummers were rerouted from Broad to Market Street, but made their way back in \’04.

The Mummers have not stopped growing. Just this year, a new group called the Pennsport String Band formed, with a different take.

\”We are a new type of string band,\” President Robert Simiriglio, a former member of the Durning String Band who will march in his 34th parade this year, said.

The 45-year-old who grew up on 19th and Ritner streets said the different format — with no dues or duties — came from the wishes of its 43 members who wanted to continue Mummering without the intense commitment.

\”It\’s all paid for out of pocket,\” he said. \”We don\’t do many jobs or parades. We keep expenses low. There\’s no clubhouse. A lot of members still wanted to march New Year\’s Day, but they are people who like to spend summers with their families. Some string bands have jobs weekly, but a lot of us don\’t have that kind of time. We decided this would be a fun thing to do, an easy thing and cheap.\”

No matter who struts or how many years pass, the Mummer family tree is planted — and firmly rooted — in South Philly.

\”I could take a picture of a crowd at the New Year\’s Day parade, and to find out who that person was, go back to South Philly, stop at a bar or some place and ask, \’Does anybody know who this is?\’ And they\’d say, \’Oh yeah, go down two blocks to the right. It\’s my cousin\’s friend\’s sister,\’\” Kennedy said. \”Even if you\’re not a Mummer, you know somebody who is. They have a real connection with the community.\”

Read more http://www.southphillyreview.com

 

 

Bill,

 

In response, I have to say that Saturday\’s demonstration was not a High Water Mark for the State FMBA or the local fire department unions.

 

On behalf of myself, city council and the fine citizens of Gloucester City I want to apologize to Maryann, Tom and Ryan Stewart, Danielle and Nicholas and Mrs. West and her family and Mrs. Sylvester and her family for the inconsiderate demonstration and tee shirt display conducted by the Fire Departments Union.

As Mayor I can only say that I am disheartened by, embarrassed for, and angry with, both the organizers and the participants of this demonstration as this was not the time or the place to grandstand their agenda.

William James, Mayor of the City of Gloucester City

To read Mr. Lavin\’s remarks, click

see Photo Gallery

RELATED ARTICLES AND PHOTOS:

 
Race celebrates the lives of fallen firefighters

Union Protestors Pose for photos

Gloucester City Fire Dept Budget
 

A Hot Topic

Note from Bill: Below is the Courier Post article that I used to write my editorial. The lines I used for information are highlighted. In my article I mistakenly used the demographics for West Deptford instead of Deptford. One of the points I was trying to make is not so much about demographics, although that is import. What I was also trying to get across is the fact that volunteers are being used by these fire departments to cut down on costs. The story also points out how Fire Departments conduct outreach programs to attract more volunteers. In my opinion that is something Gloucester City should and could be doing.

Emergency Call Volume Increases

Thursday, October 11, 2007

By BILL DUHART
Courier-Post Staff,  

WINSLOW-There\’s a transition under way in the township fire department but also an effort to hold on to timeworn traditions. And Winslow is not the only town performing this balancing act.

Four career firefighters have been hired here since last year and plans call for five more full-timers within the next year. But department officials say they still want to keep the tradition of volunteers to augment the full-timers.

\”Last year, we went from 1,303 emergency dispatches to be on pace this year for up to 1,600,\” said township fire Chief Peter Finley. \”A few years ago we were at about 500 to 600 calls a year.\”

The chief said demands for coverage in a rapidly growing township, especially during weekdays, is driving the change. The population of Winslow, which is 58 square miles, stand at about 34,000 people.

\”The days when volunteers worked in town and could leave their jobs and go off to a fire call just doesn\’t happen anymore,\” Finley said. \”Also, a lot of people have more than one job and have family activities. It makes it difficult to dedicate the time necessary to do that.

\”It\’s a national problem, recruiting and attracting quality people to the volunteer ranks. Training is getting more difficult and a lot more time and energy is required.\”

Finley said more career staff doesn\’t spell the end for the 140 volunteers in the seven fire companies in the township.

The township now gets full-time coverage from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. and volunteers are on hand in fire stations from 6 p.m. to midnight. After midnight, volunteers respond from home to the station and the fire scene.

The typical township resident paid about $191 yearly to fund the fire district in 2007. That\’s based on a tax rate of 19 cents for every $100 of assessed property value. In 2006, typical residents paid $165.

The starting pay for full-time firefighters is $40,700. Add in benefits and each full-timer costs about $55,000.

Edward Kensler Jr., chief of the Florence fire department, shares Finley\’s concerns. His department also uses a combination of career and volunteer firefighters.

\”Fire companies need to do a better job reaching out and attracting new volunteers,\” said Kensler, the first career firefighter hired in Florence in 1987 and now one of six career firefighters there among 35 volunteers. \”Our volume of calls has gone from 200 a few years ago to up to 450 a year now.\”

While Florence, with about 12,000 residents, has a third of the population of Winslow and a fifth of Winslow\’s 58-square-mile area, it still is affected by many of the same problems that drive up response calls.

Home-security calls are an issue, Kensler said.

\”And about 90 percent of the home-security calls are false alarms,\” he said. \”We call them Smells and Bells.\”

Finley said about a third of his calls are from home-security systems. Kensler said he has to guard against the false alarms lulling volunteers into not responding for every call.

\”If you get three out of four false alarms a week it might put some doubt in a volunteer\’s mind if they really need to respond to this address when the pager goes off,\” Kensler said.

Chief Stephen Hubbs of Deptford shares those concerns.

\”My call volume has increased by 90 percent since 2001,\” said Hubbs, 47, one of 20 career firefighters here among 110 volunteers.

Hubbs said emergency medical assists and car accidents dwarf actual calls for fires in his department. False alarms also outpace actual fire calls. He said automatic alarm systems are now required by building codes here.

Hubbs cited statistics from the National Volunteer Firefighters Council that say 70 percent of firefighters nationally are volunteers. Volunteer recruitment remains an essential part of fire and emergency response in Deptford.

Winslow fire officials are also concerned about continuing to recruit volunteer firefighters as they hire career staffers.

\”We got a number of new homes going up with new residents,\” said Anthony Sirolli, chairman of Winslow Township Fire District. \”Sometimes we just pull an engine into a development to try to get young people interested in becoming volunteers.\”

Another part of the district\’s outreach is its annual Fire Prevention Open House, held this year on Sunday at Winslow Township High School on Cooper Folly Road. The event features pony rides, a roller coaster and a giveaway of two computer systems to local residents. The event, from 1 to 4 p.m. is free and also features free food and drinks.